With just a few weeks until the new NFL year kicks off and free agency begins, every fan is wondering the same thing. What will their team do to get better? But this year, the question is especially important. Between players, talent on the market at the quarterback position is mediocre.

5. Christian Ponder #7, Minnesota Vikings

Many would argue this, but I think Ponder has something left in him after playing backup to rookie Teddy Bridgewater all season with the exception of one game, a game in which Ponder threw for 222 yards and 2 interceptions. This free agency has very little quarterback talent and Ponder is no more than a backup quarterback to just about any team in the NFL. However, Ponder is only 26 years old and has shown flashes of being a solid quarterback. For example, in 2012 with the Vikings he had 18 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. Not to mention the Vikings in recent years have really lacked the wide receiving options to help him succeed. I am expecting him to go to a team like the St.Louis Rams. The Rams had no quarterback talent the past couple years and still aren’t sure about what they have in injury prone quarterback Sam Bradford, who has torn his left ACL twice in two seasons. All while still on his rookie contract. Ponder could be a solid option as a backup for the Rams.

4. Josh McCown #12, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

McCown had a mediocre season with the Buccaneers this past season. In 11 games started, the 35 year old quarterback had 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He is aging and that definitely wont help his cause when looking for a good contract. I don’t think any team should be looking at him as a starter. He simply didn’t prove to be a reliable starter this year. I could definitely see him in Chicago, where just a couple seasons ago he backed up Jay Cutler. In 5 games started that season along with 3 other games in which he played but didn’t start, McCown threw for 13 touchdowns and only 1 interception. For him those were career bests, and over the past couple seasons we have seen Jay Cutler continuously have turnover problems and health issues. In fact, Cutler has only had one season out of six as the Bears quarterback in which he played every game of the season. If McCown doesn’t make his way over to the Bears, you can look for quite a few teams to be interested in signing McCown to a short term deal, most likely as a backup.

3. Brian Hoyer #6, Cleveland Browns

The Michigan State graduate is coming off a year full of career highs in both good and bad categories. It was a bumpy ride for not just Hoyer, but the Browns as a team. Hoyer is not too old but isn’t a youngster either at the age of 29. With his abilities I think it would be interesting to see Hoyer in either Buffalo or Arizona. In Buffalo, Hoyer would be working with young stud wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Along with a good defense being run by new head coach Rex Ryan, a notorious player-friendly coach. However, in Arizona, he might not even have a guaranteed starting spot all season. This due to the fact Carson Palmer (torn ACL, week 10 vs. St.Louis Rams). Palmer should be back at some point during the regular season as an ACL tear takes a long time to recover. Being that Palmer led the Cards to a 8-1 record before getting hurt, when he is cleared to play he will be an instant starter for Arizona. However, being that without Palmer the Cardinals have no reliable quarterback, Brian Hoyer could be a good short-term replacement.

2. Ryan Mallett #15, Houston Texans

A man who once played backup to one of the best to ever play the game (Tom Brady), Mallett showed some good and bad in two starts this year for the Houston Texans. Of course this year he played backup to a QB far less accomplished. That QB of course was Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick. In two starts for the Texans, Mallett threw for 400 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and also posted a 54.7% completion percentage and a passer rating of 67.6. Though those numbers aren’t great, they weren’t bad when you take a closer look at the defenses Mallett went up against. He first took on a Cleveland secondary consisting of star cornerback Joe Haden and safety Donte Whitner. He led the Texans to a 23-7 victory in that game throwing for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns with only one interception. He did take on a top defense in the NFL in his next game at home against Cincinnati. A game in which he didn’t play nearly as well as he did against Cleveland. I think Houston should look to get Ryan Mallett back. Fitzpatrick, 32, is going into the final season of the 2 year contract he signed last March. If the Texans choose to not give Mallett an offer, Mallett could be a very good fit for the Tennessee Titans. The Titans currently have 3 quarterbacks on the active roster none of which can be trusted as a starter and they have all had that role in recent history. In fact, Whitehurst, Locker, and Mettenberger all got at least one start this year in a terrible season for the Titans. The Titans should definitely throw Mallett an offer and give him a chance to work with the tools they have offensively.

1. Mark Sanchez #3, Philadelphia Eagles

Sanchez is the best of a bad situation as this free agent class has very little talent. In fact, I would even say this draft class is terrible. Sanchez played decently as a starter when Eagles’ QB Nick Foles got hurt. But he was still very inconsistent. He had flashes of being a star, and flashes of being a third-string kind of quarterback. All in all, Sanchez is still a risk, but if he’s under the right system and coaching, he certainly has a chance to start for another team in the NFL. Expect to see Sanchez end up with a team like the Bills, where he will probably be the favorite to start (assuming the Bills don’t draft a QB). If he ends up in Buffalo, he will be playing with a lot of the coaches whom he started off with, including new Bills head coach Rex Ryan. If not in Buffalo, Sanchez may wind up in Arizona backing up QB Carson Palmer. It’s unclear exactly when Palmer will be healthy after he hurt his left knee during this past season. Having a capable backup like Sanchez on the roster would be huge, considering many would blame the fall of Arizona this season on the Palmer injury and the fact that none of the backups on the roster played well enough to keep them going strong.